


paradise lost

by whippedt_cream



Category: EXO (Band), NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Blood, Honeymoon, Human Sacrifice, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, Witchcraft, i've finally lost it this is so ???, loss of a loved one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 19:54:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16980786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whippedt_cream/pseuds/whippedt_cream
Summary: Yixing is desperately trying to bring Yifan, his mentor and lover, back. Ziyi and Xukun happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.





	paradise lost

**Author's Note:**

> first of all, i have absolutely no idea what this is so please don't ask me. it's inspired by the namanana album teaser, that much i can say. this didn't exactly turn out like i wanted but i doubt it'll get any better if i keep thinking about it so uh... take it. no refunds.  
> secondly i'd like to make a disclaimer. i have no clue how any type of magic works and the latin i used is literally copy pasted from a page i went on after searching "creepy shit in latin" on google.  
> anyway, if you read this feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments!

>zero

Yixing was a kind prince. Smart, willing to learn about the history of the world, about politics and various forms of art, things monarchs had to have a considerate amount of knowledge about. On top of that he was well-mannered thanks to his upbringing, and good-looking. Yixing was all that, but he wasn't happy. 

Not when he felt bored of his life. They had it all planned out for him already, he couldn't make any decisions about what his future would look like. The fact that his family wanted him to marry some woman he had never even met didn't exactly make him happy either. Of course he got it. He needed to get married sooner or later, after all he was the prince, the future king and he was supposed to have heirs. 

He was an adult, had just turned eighteen and naturally, he wanted to be in control of his own life for once. So he decided to run away and leave everything and everyone he'd ever known behind.

 

He found a mansion after having wandered around in the jungle for three days. His body ached, he was hungry and dirty. Obviously he didn't reject that strange man's offer to come inside.

 

Honestly, Yixing was glad he had found this place. It was as if he had finally found his purpose, his destiny. He was given an opportunity and he wasn't going to ruin this chance at a life that wasn't chosen for him. So he studied with the others, with the rest of the coven, under Yifan's supervision.

Yifan was a great teacher, dedicated to his work, always telling them to do the right thing, to help people, that every living creature was holy and should under no circumstances be harmed. Those were the principles they lived by and Yixing liked this life. He liked getting up in the morning knowing that he had his life in his own hand. He liked learning with Yifan's other students, loved going out into the jungle to look for herbs and discover new plants.

He also liked the way Yifan's eyes turned dark whenever he looked at Yixing.

Later he also discovered that he liked the way Yifan's lips feel on his own.

 

Naturally, he was devastated when Yifan was banished from this planet by the coven they were at enmity with, trapped between the universes. He felt as if he had lost everything he had grown to love, as if he was lost all over again. 

After he had cried his eyes out for a couple of weeks, he made a decision. He would not rest peacefully until he had his lover back, no matter the price he had to pay in order to achieve his goal.

 

>one 

 

Ziyi woke up from the sunlight hitting his face. It made bright spots appear behind his eyelids and his face felt comfortably warm. He stretched out his arms and legs before opening his eyes slowly, blinking against the brightness. That's when he noticed that his boyfriend - no, his husband of two days, he mentally corrected himself – was looking at him dreamily, head propped up on his hand.

"Good morning, sunshine", Xukun said, leaning over to give Ziyi a soft kiss. 

Smiling, Ziyi mumbled, "Good morning, love."

He laughed surprisedly when Xukun draped himself over Ziyi, basically crushing him under his weight. Automatically, Ziyi wrapped his arms around Xukun, replying to his eager kisses as best as he could in his sleepy state. Slowly, Ziyi moved one of his hands up, resting it on Xukun's neck, long fingers wandering into the man's hair, keeping him in place as the kiss deepened.

Xukun moaned softly into Ziyi's mouth as he started grinding down against him and Ziyi's second hand came down to grab Xukun's ass, wordless encouragement to repeat the movement. 

Being on their honeymoon was great, Ziyi thought as he put his hand beneath the waisband of Xukun's pyjama pants.

 

>two 

 

Yixing was restless. He could feel it, full moon was approaching and he still needed to find his sacrifice. 

Running a hand through his hair in desperation, he decided to go for a walk. Maybe he'd find a solution if he was surrounded by the jungle. The vibrant shades of green and the beautiful scenery always helped him clear his head and calm his nerves.

Yixing had been planning on bringing the leader of their coven back ever since he was banned by a circle of witches two years ago. 

He had been but a mere student, learning about magic. Back then his knowledge and his skill hadn't been advanced enough for what he was planning on doing. Ever since that day, he had been studying relentlessly, working hard to gain the power he needed in order to bring Yifan, both his mentor and his lover back. 

Of course he had never truly been gone, he just had lost the ability to physically walk the earth ever since he had been banned. Yixing could still communicate with him, sometimes, mostly in his dreams or on special occasions like a full moon, where the distance between what's real and what's believed to be non-existent is especially small. 

It was tiring, not having the one you admired most around you. Succeeding in giving Yifan the strength he needed to manifest again would definitely make him feel fulfilled, it would free him from the shackles of this task he had given himself. 

 

>three 

 

Xukun giggled as he took the joint from Ziyi's hand. Honestly, he didn't even know what he was laughing at and he was too high to care. He doubted Ziyi knew why he was laughing, but he joined in on the laughter anyway. 

The two men had decided to go to a small, discreet clearing in the jungle. A clearing with a tiny lake, the moonlight shining brightly upon the clear water. They had come here to smoke, obviously, so they were sitting here, feet dangling into the cool water, but now Ziyi seemed to have another idea. He pulled his shirt over his head and took his pants off with some difficulty before he jumped into the water, disappearing for a couple seconds before emerging again.

Xukun put the joint between his lips again, not really smoking, just letting it sit there as he watched his husband. Longish strands of hair were sticking to his face, water adorning his heavenly body, glistering in the moonlight. The night was warm, but Xukun shivered. 

"You should also get inside, the water is great!" Ziyi exclaimed enthusiastically. Xukun shook his head no. Ziyi got closer, chest bumping into Xukun's legs which were still in the water. 

"Why not?"

Taking the joint out of his mouth, Xukun said, "I don't wanna get wet."

He almost jumped when he felt something touch his legs, but he quickly realized that it was just Ziyi's hands. "Usually you like it wet" Ziyi said with a teasing grin to which Xukun just replied by sticking his tongue out in a childish manner. Ziyi then proceeded to grab Xukun's ankles underwater and jokingly threatened, "I could just pull you inside, you know."

"You wouldn't", Xukun simply stated before he took a long drag of the joint, inhaling deeply and keeping the smoke in his lungs for several seconds. Ziyi released his grip on Xukun's ankles and placed them on his neck instead, leaning in as if to kiss him. Ignoring the fact that now water was running down into his shirt, Xukun blew out the smoke, right into Ziyi's mouth. 

"I don't think I've told you yet, but being married is a good look on you", Xukun said matter-of-factly. Ziyi giggled, getting shy. Xukun continued, "Don't laugh, it's true! You're even hotter than before."

Ziyi dropped his hands on Xukun's thighs, water seeping through the material of his shorts. "Well thanks. The same goes for you, by the way. You're irresistible." Before Xukun could reply to Ziyi's words, he was cut off by a mouth meeting his. Honestly, Xukun immediately forgot what he had wanted to say, he was too distracted by his husband eagerly licking into his mouth. 

After the kiss had ended, Ziyi wanted to know, "So what do you say about getting rid of these clothes and swimming with me now?" 

Grinning, Xukun put out the joint in the soil he was sitting on.

 

>four

 

Yixing had been stumbling through the jungle for an hour when he arrived at a small clearing. He didn't mind the darkness, he did have perfect vision both during the day and during the night, after all. 

At first, he was just standing there, skin looking pale in the icy moonlight. Then, a noise. It was a splash, followed by laughter. That's when Yixing noticed the two men who were swimming in the lake he initially hadn't seen. They would be perfect, he thought, suddenly.

He needed the life of two to bring one back. 

Immediately, he started whispering, voice so quiet he couldn't even hear the words he spoke. However, it's not like hearing them was necessary. The effect stayed the same. 

Once the two men had gotten out of the lake an odd exhaustion settled in their bones, movements sluggish as they put their clothes on, passing out and falling to the ground shortly after.

In the shadows, Yixing smiled sadly. 

 

>five

 

When Ziyi woke up the first thing he noticed was how much his head hurt. What did he expect, smoking weed after all these cocktails? He'd had better ideas. He guessed that this time even Xukun, who usually wasn't prone to getting bad hangovers, would feel destroyed. 

He blindly reached out until his hand met skin and he only opened his eyes afterwards. The first thing he noticed was that this wasn't their hotel room. Instead, he saw white walls, old oil paintings adorning them, golden details on the dark wood furniture. It gave off an elegant yet cold vibe. 

"Xukun, wake up", he whisper-shouted at his husband who was still sleeping peacefully, now clinging onto the hand Ziyi had used to reach out earlier. When Xukun didn't move, he tried again, "Honey. You need to wake up."

Slowly, Xukun's steady breathing turned regular as he blinked his eyes open. "I'm still tired, let me sleep", me mumbled sleepily before he cuddled closer, tucking his head into the crook of Ziyi's neck and wrapping an arm around him. 

Ziyi couldn't resist his urge to stroke Xukun's hair. "Where the fuck are we", he murmured, thinking out loud. That seemed to get the younger man's attention. Finally. He opened his eyes, curious to see what Ziyi was talking about. When he saw what his husband had seen, he immediately sat up, thought of cuddling the man suddenly forgotten. 

"Oh my God." 

"That's what I was thinking."

Xukun looked at him for a couple seconds. "Maybe we should look around to see where we are? And then we'll leave and go back to the hotel."

Nodding, Ziyi got up and waited for Xukun to get up as well. Both of them were still wearing the same clothes they had put on the previous night, so they guessed they didn't return to their room after their trip to the secluded clearing in the middle of the jungle. 

When they exited the room they got to some sort of gallery, overlooking a big hall. This part of the mansion looked just as elegant as the bedroom they had slept in, predominantly white and cream colored walls and tiles, the same dark wood adorned with golden elements. 

Considering that waking up in a strange house was lowkey scaring the shit out of both of them, they quickly made their way to the giant stairway leading into the main hall. 

 

>six

 

The ghost of a touch was wandering over his cheekbone, knuckles softly grazing his skin, shiny rings adorning long, elegant fingers. That hand came down to his neck, brushing against his pulse point, feeling ticklish, making him shiver even before those same fingers wrapped around his throat, not putting any pressure on it yet. 

The presence he could feel behind him was all too familiar, as was the mouth dragging along his jawline until it reached his ear, gnawing on the lobe for a second before it was released again. When hot, moist breath hit his neck he almost moaned involuntarily. 

That was the moment he decided to turn around, to look at his lover, meet his eyes, but that was also the moment he disappeared from his sight. He always did, but Yixing never learned, always made the same mistake that would lead to this, would lead to this loneliness that was clawing at his heart, the emptiness that was filling him. 

Suddenly, the world around him turned gray, fitting the mood he was currently in. Devastated, he fell to his knees, cradling the small silver amulet around his neck in his hand. The only thing that reminded him of what he once had, of who he once had. 

"Please come back", he whispered into the silence, knowing that nobody would answer.

When Yixing woke up from his dream, this god damn dream that had been haunting him, making fun of him, for as long as Yifan had been gone, he was shaking, quietly sobbing into his pillow. 

He got up, trying to swallow the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes down. While he was in the middle of getting dressed, someone started knocking on his door rapidly. 

What could possibly be this urgent so early in the morning? Tightening his belt, he shouted, "Come in."

Zitao opened the door, obviously stressed and oblivious to the way Yixing's voice was shaking, oblivious to his glassy eyes. "Sir, the ones you chose for the sacrifice just left the building."

Sighing, Yixing said, "That's fine. I put a spell on the jungle surrounding us, they won't find their way out. They'll be forced to stay in this area and when the time comes you and the other boys are allowed to hunt them down." 

That relieved the other man, all tension leaving his facial expression and body, kind of reminding Yixing of a deflating balloon. He would have laughed if there was anything funny about this situation.

 

>seven

 

"Are you sure we're walking in the right direction", Xukun asked. 

"Well, it's not exactly like we have a map and a compass. Or working phones." That was true. Their connection didn't work out here. 

"Getting lost in the jungle wasn't how I pictured our honeymoon to go."

Ziyi laughed humorlessly. "I guess waking up in some weird ass mansion in the middle of said jungle, with no recollection of what happened the night before, wasn't what either of us imagined."

Xukun looked at him from the side. "Are you okay?"

At that, Ziyi stopped walking. Reluctantly, he admitted, "I'm scared. What if we don't find our way back? What if we have to spend the night in the jungle? What if some wild animal attacks us and eats us?"

Taking his hand, Xukun reassured him, "Don't worry too much. I'm sure we'll find out of here soon, we've been walking for hours after all." Then, he pulled his husband into a tight hug and held him until he felt him relax against him. 

"It's just", Ziyi said with an unsteady voice, "That I don't like being stuck here, not knowing if we'll get out any time soon. And I also don't want this to ruin our holiday. What if we look back in twenty years and the only thing we remember is getting lost in the fucking jungle?" 

Xukun pulled back, looking at Ziyi. "At least we're in this together. We promised each other to go through both good and bad times together. In twenty years we'll probably have a good laugh when we think about this." 

At least that's what Xukun tried to tell himself. He himself was also sort of freaking out about this situation, internally. He tried to keep it together though, being a scared mess would neither help him nor Ziyi, who seemed to get more anxious the more time passed. His husband needed a shoulder to lean on so that's what he was going to offer. After a quick kiss to the cheek, Xukun pulled Ziyi along as he started walking through the tropical woods again. 

It was safe to say both of them felt utterly disappointed when they found themselves standing in front of the same, intimidating mansion they had fled from in the morning. 

 

>eight

 

"They were seen at the edge of the jungle again."

"Hunt them down."

As the other man turned around, going to look for some of the other warlocks to help him, Yixing cleared his throat, adding, "Zitao. Do what you have to do, but I need them alive."

The other man looked over his shoulder, making eye contact with Yixing for a second, looking at him pointedly because he knew that, wasn't going to do anything much with them in the first place, but he knew how important this was to the head of their little coven, and also how personal it was, so he just said, "Of course, Sir." before he left to look for some of their best boys.

 

>nine

 

Sweat was rolling down between Ziyi's shoulderblades and he was sure Xukun had the same problem. His clothes were sticking to him, he smelled sweaty and felt sticky. His stomach had started growling quite a while ago, he was starving, needed food but primarily something to drink. Oh, Ziyi would kill for some water. Maybe not actually kill, he changed his mind, but he'd do an awful lot. Give a kidney, for example.

When he looked at Xukun he noticed his husband kept licking his lips repeatedly, trying to hydrate them, but probably only resulting in making them feel more dry in the process. His hair was plastered to his forehead, sticking to greasy, sweaty skin.

Ziyi's heart twisted in his chest. He was worried, again or still, he couldn't tell. Worried for Xukun's and his own health, about finding back to the hotel, about everything. It was already dark, after all. They had been fighting their way through the jungle all day.

Suddenly, there was a crack, a rustling, somewhere behind them. Ziyi's head whipped around to look for the source of the sound. He couldn't see anything, but that didn't mean there hadn't been anything. Surely he couldn't have imagined it. 

A look at Xukun told him he hadn't been the only one who heard it. Xukun's brows were furrowed in confusion as he whispered, "Did you hear that?"

Nodding, Ziyi turned his head towards the place the noise had come from again, suspicious. "Do you think there are wild animals out here?"

Xukun looked at him, fear in his eyes, covered up by an otherwise stoic expression. "Come on, let's walk a bit faster", he suggested with a steady voice, which honestly impressed Ziyi. The thought of being chased by some sort of animal scared the shit out of him. He got it, though. Xukun tried to be strong for the both of them.

As they picked up the speed, Ziyi grabbed Xukun's hand, not caring about the way their sweaty palms were sliding together, clung onto his husband's hand like his life depended on it and Xukun squeezed his hand in return.

Then, they heard the exact same sound as before. Like a twig being snapped in half, but this time it was much closer. One pointed look at each other was enough for both of them to come to a silent agreement to start running. 

They ran as fast as their legs allowed them in their exhausted state. It was dark, so naturally they couldn't really see where exactly they were going. On one hand, they were fortunate enough not to run into any trees, on the other hand however, they kept stumbling over twigs and rocks, keeping running despite losing their balance more times than they could count.

Of course, it was no use, though. 

Xukun's foot got caught in a loop, resulting in him falling down unexpectedly. The breath got knocked out of his lungs as he hit the hard, dry ground which resulted in dust getting into his nose. Xukun tried catching his breath, but at the same time coughed his lungs out. It was a mess.

Ziyi stopped immediately after he had felt Xukun's hand slip from his, squatting down to help Xukun up. "Are you alright?!" he asked, worry and urgency lacing his voice. Xukun was shivering due to a sudden adrenaline rush, so he kind of stuttered when he replied, "Yeah, let's keep going."

So that's what they did, they started running again, but this time Xukun didn't get very far either. The loop that had made him trip was wrapped around his ankle tightly, so he fell again, ribs hurting from the force of the fall. The more shocking thing about the fall was that he was now getting dragged over the ground. 

Helplessly, he clawed at some roots from a nearby tree, skin on his hands getting scratched, a nail or two cracking. Xukun did the only normal thing anybody would do in this situation; he screamed because what the fuck, he was getting pulled back. 

Ziyi was desperately trying to help him, obviously frantic and scared out of his mind considering that he stumbled multiple times as he tried to reach Xukun, but whatever, or rather, whoever was pulling him over the rough ground, scratching his body up in the worst ways - shirt riding up and dirt getting into the scratches - was faster.

Suddenly, everything was still. Xukun wasn't being dragged anymore, but he was shivering from fear and surprise. Ziyi reached him, finally, and shakily shouted, "Xukun, are you okay?"

Before he could remove the loop from Xukun's ankle though, someone hit him on his head, the hard blow sending him to the ground and resulting in unconsciousness. Steps approached Xukun who was still on the ground, unable to move due to the shock. 

Everything went black.

 

>ten

 

Yixing was pacing. It was one of his newer habits, it had developed after he had made the decision to start studying and practicing black magic. It pained him to go against all his principles, but not having the love of his life by his side pained him even more. 

So he was willing to make sacrifices. The two men they had caught in the jungle weren't the only ones who were going to die. His integrity and everything Yifan had taught him – a part of him was going to die as well. 

 

When Ziyi woke up his first thought was fire. The smell of smoke, something burning, filled his lungs and he felt disgustingly warm, was sweating so much all his clothes were plastered to his body when he blinked his eyes open. 

At first, he was confused. He took in his surroundings. He was lying on one side of a pentagram carved into the earthy ground he was currently on, Xukun was on the other side, still passed out it seemed. In the middle of the pentagram there were bowls filled with herbs and other plants Ziyi couldn't name. They were burning, he realized as he watched the smoke rise into the air, leaving flowery patterns behind.

He turned his head, trying to orient himself and that's when the panic kicked in. He recognized this place, they were right in front of the mansion they had woken up in this morning. Something weird was going on. Lying within a circle of some dirty looking stuff, pentagram seperating him from his husband, hands and feet tied together with rope, was already weird enough as it is, but he actually started physically feeling sick. This was so wrong.

"Xukun," he whisper-shouted. The man didn't move, so he hissed his name again. He wasn't sure whether Xukun had heard him or not, but he did wake up, dazed look on his face as he sat up as best as he could. Ziyi noticed a dried line of blood on his cheek.

Xukun looked around helplessly, obviously completely lost. Then he said, "Ziyi," in a questioning tone, voice sounding oddly small.

Just as Ziyi opened his mouth, someone else said, "Good thing you two are awake, otherwise you'd miss what's going to happen next."

Xukun looked behind Ziyi with big eyes and Ziyi turned his head in the direction of the mansion again to see who it was. The man who had spoken was wearing a black suit with golden embroidery, those who followed after him were all dressed in black cloaks, hoods pulled over their heads. It was something right out of some bad horror movie, Ziyi thought, and scolded himself for this thought right afterwards because this was very much real and very creepy.

Upon further inspection he noticed that the man who obviously was the leader of this group of people was wearing a necklace with a tiny skull of an animal on it, which one he really couldn't tell, but it was adorned with shiny, curved black horns which he was pretty sure hadn't actually belonged to the animal while it had been alive.

Meanwhile the hooded figures went to build a circle around them, taking each other's hands and then, when their leader started chanting in Latin, the rest of the group joining him after the first line.

 

Tibi, magnum Innominandum,  
Signa stellarum nigrarum  
Et bufoniformis Sadoquae sigillum!  
Sanguis bebimus  
Corpus edimus  
Tolle corpus Satani  
Ave, ave Versus Christus!  
Ave Satani!

 

Ziyi was shaking with fear and he could see that Xukun felt just like him. Suddenly, his eyes grew big as he looked over Ziyi's shoulder and then Ziyi felt a presence behind him. He glanced behind him and found the leader of this cult or whatever standing there. 

When fingers dug into his hair in order to yank his head back, Ziyi saw his life flashing before his eyes. He saw his parents, how proud they were of him when he just started school. The grip on his hair tightened. The day he first got drunk, played spin the bottle with his friends and received his first kiss. A blade to his neck. When he met Xukun for the first time, accidentally running into him at university and knocking his books out of his hands. The dagger, sharp and cold against his skin. Graduation day, Xukun by his side. He noticed that the hand holding the blade was shaking violently. The day Xukun and him promised each other the rest of their lives, gentle hands sliding a ring onto his finger, loving eyes directed at him. 

Once he opened his eyes he was confronted with Xukun's panicked expression, helpless sobs leaving his mouth, tears spilling out of his eyes and mixing with the dried blood on his cheek, a line of diluted blood sliding down his neck.

"I love you," Ziyi said, or stuttered. He wasn't even entirely sure whether he had heard him, but the man nodded nonetheless, sobs increasing. Ziyi took a deep breath.

 

>eleven 

 

Yixing looked at the aftermath of the sacrifice. There was blood, a lot of it, the result of killing two men. His heart was beating rapidly due to the adrenaline high. The high caused by doing something he knew was so absolutely wrong. 

But how could something so wrong lead to something that felt so right? Yifan was standing there, in the middle of the pentagram, where the bowls with the herbs had previously been standing. He was looking around, obviously confused as to why he was here and what was going on.

Then he faced Yixing, looked him up and down, noticing the blood staining his hands and the skull hanging from a leather band around his neck. Before he knew it, Yixing was in front of him, his dirty hands coming to wrap around his neck, lips pressing against his in a desperate manner. 

Yifan was too surprised to react, he just stood there and let it happen. When Yixing noticed that Yifan wasn't going to kiss him back, he pulled away and took a step backwards, looked at him with uncertain eyes. 

"What have you done, Yixing?" He whispered. 

Before Yixing could open his mouth to say anything, Yifan backhanded him so hard he went to the ground. The guilty weight of the necklace seemed to get heavier against his sternum. 

"Yixing."

He looked up at Yifan's tall figure. I've killed for you, he thought. He didn't say anything, neither of them did. The disappointment in Yifan's eyes spoke louder than actual words.

 

>twelve

 

Yixing's hand was still shaking as he made his decision. He removed the dagger from the man's neck and dropped it. He found himself on his knees, face buried in his hands as he started crying quietly. 

He couldn't do it. How could he even have thought about doing this? Yifan would never look at him the same again. He'd never love him again if he did this. How could he have been this foolish? 

Blindly, he reached for the dagger and wiped his eyes with the sleeves of his jacket in order to clear his sight. He then proceeded to cut the ropes with which the man in front of him was tied up and shakily said, "Go. Leave."

Ziyi didn't need to hear that twice, he immediately got up and ran towards Xukun, who looked at him with relief and wonder. As quickly as possible, he worked to undo the ties around Xukun's wrists and ankles, then pulling him up and starting to run as fast as his legs would carry him, his hand never leaving Xukun's.

When the two were out of sight, Yixing looked up to the dark night sky, tears slowly turning cold on his face. His heart clenched painfully at the thought of what he had lost and would never get back.


End file.
